Thursday, September 19, 2013

This past weekend was the 4th annual Cincinnati Comic Expo. Again occupying Hall A of the Duke Energy Center, there was plenty to do and see. Here I am with the boys, again disguised as Robin and Flash, with Bossk and a dewback riding stormtrooper.

One of the main reasons I wanted to come to this show was to meet Scott Shaw! Shaw is a veteran cartoonist best-known for drawing Hanna-Barbera characters and my childhood favorite, Captain Carrot. Shaw has a great knowledge of comics history, and it was fascinating to talk to him about longtime Milton Caniff associate Shel Dorf.

Shaw signed my copy of Laff-a-Lympics #11, which he thinks might be his first comics cover. I loved these Marvel H-B books, mainly for the eye-catching film strip running on the left margin of all the covers.

The other attraction for me was meeting Playboy cartoonist Doug Sneyd. Sneyd has been drawing for the legendary magazine since 1964. Some read Playboy for the articles...I read it for the cartoons!

An example of Sneyd's work. He's highly regarded for how well he draws, um...faces.

Robin was excited to meet two other Robins. He's normally reluctant to pose for photographs, so I was glad he got into this one.

Ewoks beware! Watch out for Flash on a speeder bike.

The boys were really excited to meet Art Baltazar, the artist of Tiny Titans.

Baltazar did these sketches for the boys, based on their costumes.

Getting a temporary tattoo of, who else - Robin!

Ready for action!

We all enjoyed the Lego displays, including this well-constructed depiction of the Imperial base on Endor.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

This weekend was the inaugural Cincy Comicon. Organized by a fine group of folks, the goal of the show was to break away from the modern version of a comic convention, which often has as much of a focus on movie/TV guests as it does on the comics. For this show, the guests were all comic book creators, with the big draw turning out to be Tony Moore, co-creator of the Walking Dead and co-organizer of this con itself.

The guest of honor was comics legend Art Adams. I once met art at a retailer conference in St. Louis, back in the mid-'90s. My picture from then was blurry, so I was glad to get a do over.

Artist Geof Darrow decided to do some impromptu product placement, after signing my copies of his co-creation "Big Guy & Rusty the Boy Robot." Darrow included a little doodle along with his signature -

Above, the cover to Batman #405 by David Mazzuchelli. Below, the same cover reproduced at around 8 feet tall with Legos. I saw the con crew working on this from start and...wow, what a finish!

Chris Sprouse is always a welcome sight at any show. I typically make a beeline to his table to get on his sketch list. This time I around I came unprepared with a sketch subject. He happened to be working on a sketch of Acroyear and Bug from "Micronauts," a childhood favorite. That made me think of Marionette, also from that series.

Here she is near the final pencil stage. I watched him draw this from start to finish, and it's so fun to watch him work. Marionette was a first time request for him.

There were plenty of programs at the show as well. My pal Ted Haycraft (2nd from left) co-moderated the horror panel to an SRO house of 200 people. The panelists were Tony Moore, Tim Seeley, Steve Niles and Mark Kidwell. Ted and co-moderator John Siuntries kept the conversation fresh and interesting, from artist influences and horror comics history to writing techniques and fright flicks.

Today I went back with my boys, who were dressed as Robin and Flash. Here they are with their pal, Kelsey.

Checking out Doctor Who's TARDIS.

Chatting with their old pal, R2D2. Their were two R2s in attendance, from the R2 Builders Club, as well as an R5D4.

Getting set to race around the world, will the real Flash please break the time barrier? I guess this guy's Shaggy outfit was at the cleaners.

Robin was playing it shy today, but Flash was ready and willing to pose for pictures with fans and other cosplayers. Here he is with Harley Quinn.

Fighting crime is thirsty work!

All in all, a fun convention. Grand poobah Kendall Swafford and his collaborators have a lot to be proud of. Can't wait to mark our calendar for next year!